1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an object detecting apparatus for a vehicle for accurately tracking targets by grouping multiple targets detected by a transmitting/receiving mechanism in each predetermined detection cycle; and making a judgment on continuity between a group of targets detected in a previous detection cycle and a group of targets detected in a current detection cycle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent No. 3959100 (JP '100) discloses a drive control apparatus for a vehicle for controlling a driving condition of a subject vehicle relative to a representative point of a group into which multiple objects are unified by a unifying means when the multiple objects are detected within a predetermined range based on the transmission and reception results of an electromagnetic wave by a radar apparatus.
However, the drive control apparatus disclosed by JP '100 suffers from a drawback of when a group into which the multiple objects are unified by the unifying means splits into two groups, tracking the two groups is not adequately performed. Hence, vehicle control is inadequately performed relative to one of the split groups which does not include the vehicle running in front of the subject vehicle. A reason why such a drawback exists in the drive control apparatus disclosed in JP '100 is described in the following section entitled “DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION” with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7B.